New Labour in Europe: Leadership and Lost Opportunities

When Tony Blair led the Labour party to victory in the 1997 general election, he did so pledging to put Labour at the heart of Europe; and yet, in 2016, Brexit is a very real possibility. This book shows how, despite some successes en route, the journey under New Labour was in a direction away from Blair’s declared ambition. Policy on Europe became hostage to domestic considerations – both short term tactical needs and the more intractable problem of deep-rooted British Euroscepticism which grew as the period went by. Former MEP Anita Pollack particularly focuses on the interplay between domestic British politics and the position of British Labour representatives in Strasbourg and Brussels. Labour MEPs often found themselves undermined by the pressures of domestic party politics – and not just high level politics, but at the grass roots organisational level where attitudes to Europe could be persistently old Labour or lacking any real enthusiasm or engagement. This unresolved ambiguity in Labour’s commitment has now assumed even more salience with the election of long-time Eurosceptic Jeremy Corbyn as party leader. “thought-provoking insights for students of recent history, political activists, politicians and those working in the European institutions”, Neil Kinnock

Foreword by Neil Kinnock Part I: Before 1997 Part II: 1997-2001 Part III: 2001-2005 Part IV: 2005-2010 Part V: Afterword – post 2010 Appendices Index